Bobby’s moms Butter Chicken

I’m super excited today!!! There’s a couple of reasons why. The first reason is that by this time tomorrow I’ll be on a plane to Mexico!!!! Whoot whoot! We planned this vacation almost 10 months ago and it’s finally arrived. I’ve never been to Mexico and I’m really looking forward to spending several days beaching and pooling.

The second reason I’m super excited is that I get to share this incredible recipe with you all. In my circle of friends and family, Bobby’s moms Butter Chicken is legendary. I mentioned last week that my good friend (not Bobby) was teaching me how to properly cook Indian food. He prefers I not mention his name, but he is an incredible cook. One recipe that has always stumped him though, is his best friend’s (Bobby’s) moms butter chicken. Until now she would never give him the recipe, but he’s always experimented and tried to figure it out. Over the years, he’s come pretty close to the real deal and lucky for me I’ve often been the beneficiary of some of his attempts.

After several years of asking, a couple weeks ago Bobby’s mom finally gave him the recipe. Well……… mostly. She gave him the cooking method and the ingredients, but she didn’t give him any exact measurements. He had to figure that out on his own, by tasting as he went. As such, the measurements below aren’t exact, they’re more of a guideline. When you start adding the spices, start with the smaller amount and as the dish cooks, add more if you think you need to. You’ll also have to use your sense of smell to help you determine when it’s time to move from one step to the next.

Now, just because it’s called butter chicken, that doesn’t mean you can’t experiment with other options. If you wanted to make a vegetarian dish, you could use tofu or a mix of vegetables. Another idea to try is adding prawns. I would cook them first and then just stir them into the dish right before serving.

When it’s cold and wintery out, there’s something to be said for spending an afternoon stirring a pot of delicious, warm, comfort food. Though this recipe does take a few hours to get to completion, I promise you that it’s entirely worth it. Happy cooking!

Extra virgin olive oil

3 – 156mL cans of tomato paste

4 small onions finely chopped

2″ piece of ginger, minced

8 cloves of garlic, minced

2 green peppers, finely chopped

2 – 3 green chilis, minced (the quantity depends on how spicy you want it to be)

2 -3 tbsp tumeric

2-3 tbsp garam masala

4 lbs chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and quartered

1 1/2 litres half and half cream

500 mL heavy cream

salt

cayenne (optional)

Before you being cooking, get the veggies and chicken ready to go into the pot. The first few steps require a bit of attention and you’ll want to be prepared

Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and add the tomato paste. Cook for about 10 mins over medium heat, adding a little more oil if the tomato paste starts to stick to the bottom. After about 10 minutes, the tomato paste will start to become really fragrant. This is how you’ll know you’re ready to move on to the next step.

Add the green peppers and cook for about 5 minutes, then add the onions and cook for another 5 minutes. Stirring often to prevent sticking and burning. You can add a small amount of water if needed.

Add in the ginger and cook until fragrant. 2 – 3 minutes. Then add in the chilis and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for just a minute or two before adding in the spices. You’ll cook the spices just long enough for them to become fragrant (1-2 minutes) before adding the chicken.

Cook the chicken until the outside of the pieces look cooked (are white), then add all the cream.

Slowly continue to cook the whole mess over low heat for about 3 hours. While it’s cooking make sure to stir and taste occasionally, salting and adding a little more of the spices if needed. If you fell like you want it to be spicier, you can add a little cayenne at this point.

Serve with basmati rice, naan bread, roti or just eat it straight from the pot. Totally our call, I won’t judge 😉

This recipe serves about 8 – 10 people.

Every week I share my recipe at a couple of blog parties. It’s a great way to see a ton of delicious looking recipes. This week I’ll be sharing at Fiesta Friday and Fabulous Foodie Fridays.

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17 Comments

This sounds good Natalie and I’d like to try it. 1500ml of half and half is correct? That’s a lot of cream! Have a fantastic trip to MX! On my bucket list to get to St Miguel de Allende, MX city for the art and to the Mayan historical sites.

Thank you Johanne! We’re planning on making a trip to the ruins and maybe leaving the resort a couple more times besides that. I’m very excited, lol! Yes, that’s the right amount of cream. I know, it seems like a lot. This makes a large pot of butter chicken, though. And over the 2-3 hours of simmering, the cream really thickens and reduces.

Welcome to Fiesta Friday Natalie. Thanks for bringing this beautiful Indian Butter Chicken, it does look wonderful and pretty authentic :). I too love Indian cuisine, but then I probably am biased :). I’ve blogged on a few Indian dishes, and it seems the winter time seems the perfect season for it. Strange how some folks refuse to share their kitchen secrets or recipes eh? Sometimes adding yogurt to curries right at the end cuts down on some of the fat content instead of cream. Have a wonderful time in Mexico, it’s a great time to visit, you’ll love it 🙂

Thank you so much, Loretta! Yes, some people like to keep their recipe secrets to themselves. I think in this case, she really wanted him to learn to use his sense of taste and smell to make the recipe. Happy FF! Have a great weekend!

Your chicken sounds absolutely delicious! Funny how the recipe has been protected for so long and how great that it was finally, sort of, shared! And thank you for sharing this with us!
Have a fantastic time in Mexico, it sounds amazing! 🙂 Happy FF! 🙂

Hi…just checked out your blog…it’s lovely and has some really amazing recipes…this recipe is perfect..loved the look of it….I am an Indian and this recipe is pretty common here…just a teeny weeny suggestion…Before cooking the meat or a be it anything else, we generally marinate them in oil and some spice powders for atleast 3 to 5 hours. That really would make a diff☺…have a lovely trip byw

There are many diff ways..I’ll just give you an idea of what I use…For 1/2 kg chicken: salt to taste, 2 ground green chillies, 1 tsp chilli powder, pepper 1/4 tsp, homemade garam masala 1 tsp, and the king of everything 1 tbsp freshly ground ginger and garlic paste. 2 tbsp vegetable oil/ butter..Everyone has their own standard marination, just try this and figure out yours☺☺ reduce the chilli If u don’t want it to be spicy